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It's fine that you don't like Liriano, but it looks like the Braves and FW do. He has good stuff from the left side and does have his up's and downs. I'm guessing the Braves think they can solve some of his control issues and his cost money wise and prospect wise may be exactly what the Braves are looking for.

Stuff wise, he has it. And his last 9 starts have all been winable games for the Twins. 4 or less er per start over that stretch, with 67 k's and 25 BB's. So he is pitching well as of late and he won't cost much ( Delgado is the only spec we are giving up with a high ceiling and that's just so we get Hicks). If you take Hicks out for the Twins, Gilmartin may be the headliner in this trade, as we wouldn't give up Delgado for a rental in Liriano.

Also..... Jose Bautista has gone on record saying that they need a pitcher or two. Would they be willing to give up prospect Anthony Gose for JJ or one of our other pitchers? They have Rasmus in CF so they have no immediate need in CF for him. I think it would be wise to get this CF question awnsered before Bourn hits FA.

Recently, Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to an NL GM who said he does not expect a robust market for rental players this summer. Under the previous collective bargaining agreement, players acquired in their contract years could still be more than rentals due to draft pick compensation. But due to a rule in the new CBA, a rental is truly a rental for the 2012 trade deadline: traded players are not eligible for draft pick compensation. As Sherman notes, that adds extra appeal for someone like Matt Garza -- a team acquiring Garza can enjoy him for the rest of 2012 and all of 2013 and then receive a draft pick as compensation if he departs as a free agent.

Keep in mind that for a team to receive draft pick compensation for a departing free agent after the 2012 season, a qualifying offer in the $12.5MM range must be tendered. Since that amount represents an average of the top 125 salaries, it will increase every year. It could be dangerous to surrender quality prospects for Garza now partly due to the assumption that he'll be worthy of a $13-14MM qualifying offer after the 2013 season.

Still, take a look at our list of players who, like Garza, project to be eligible for free agency after the 2013 season. Which could be acquired with a partial eye on draft pick compensation after '13? Chase Utley has a good amount of no-trade protection, and given time missed due to injury and reduced production, it'd be optimistic to expect a qualifying offer. Hunter Pence, on the other hand, is a decent bet for such an offer. Among position players, Corey Hart also has a shot. Both outfielders figure to be part of their team's 2013 plans, however.

Aside from Garza, Josh Johnson is a starting pitcher to consider. Johnson has been uncharacteristically hittable this year, but he has been healthy and stands as a candidate for a qualifying offer after '13, should the Marlins decline to extend him again. Despite their all-in offseason, the Marlins appear a long shot for the playoffs, it is possible they could move Johnson for MLB-ready players. Jason Vargas has been a hot name on the trade market. While I think GMs would find it appealing to control Vargas for 2013, I doubt they would have any expectation of making him a qualifying offer afterward.

We haven't discussed Justin Upton types, players who are under control beyond 2013 and seem to be reasonable candidates for future draft pick compensation. Those are rare players. Looking only at trade targets eligible for free agency after 2013, the qualifying offer will be a pretty high bar, and future draft pick compensation can't be a primary consideration for an acquiring team.

I'm sure the Twins would sort of jump at that offer once they see Gilmartin in there along with Delgado & Graham. I think adding Gilmartin in that sort of package for an unconsistent pitcher is a bad move though.

Is Hicks still a top prospect for the Twins? I haven't heard no news about him in a while.

No way, Liriano is a rental and is too inonsistent i wouldn't give up any of those 3 prospects for him. Hicks is on a big downfall, he was once considered a top 100 prospect, but not anymore.

The Braves were among a series of teams scouting Francisco Liriano today during his start against the Royals, reports Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com (via Twitter). While Liriano failed to turn in a quality start on Sunday, the former All-Star has improved his performance each month of the season thus far. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $5.5MM deal with the Twins in January and will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2012 season.

It's fine that you don't like Liriano, but it looks like the Braves and FW do. He has good stuff from the left side and does have his up's and downs. I'm guessing the Braves think they can solve some of his control issues and his cost money wise and prospect wise may be exactly what the Braves are looking for.

Stuff wise, he has it. And his last 9 starts have all been winable games for the Twins. 4 or less er per start over that stretch, with 67 k's and 25 BB's. So he is pitching well as of late and he won't cost much ( Delgado is the only spec we are giving up with a high ceiling and that's just so we get Hicks). If you take Hicks out for the Twins, Gilmartin may be the headliner in this trade, as we wouldn't give up Delgado for a rental in Liriano.

I think you are wrong here, Gilmartin and Graham are both on our top 10 prospects. And according to John Sickels Graham is the #116 in all of baseball.

I'm sure the Twins would sort of jump at that offer once they see Gilmartin in there along with Delgado & Graham. I think adding Gilmartin in that sort of package for an unconsistent pitcher is a bad move though.

Is Hicks still a top prospect for the Twins? I haven't heard no news about him in a while.

If we could get him for less, I'm all over that. But much like the inconsistent Edwin Jackson last year, he's got the stuff and has pitched well after a rough start to the season.

Hicks still ranks in the top 100 as far as prospects go although some have soured on him. He's still a plus defender in CF, with a strong arm, a good approach at the plate and speed to spare.

If you guys think it's to much, maybe that package also nets the guy some of you have wanted for years. Josh Willingham.

Yeah i think he will be cheaper, Hicks could be an interesting player to have, he still a good prospect just not elite anymore. With that being said i don't know if the twins will be trading prospects but if we can get Liriano and Hicks for Gilmartin and another low mid-level prospect (someone between our top 15-20) prospect i will do it. I don't think Liriano is worth much because he's only a rental and very inconsisten, but he's pitching great lately that probably raise his price a little bit, but i won't give up Delgado for him even if Hicks is included in the deal.

The Rays are suggesting to other teams that they will listen to trade offers for right-hander James Shields, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Rival teams have heard that the Rays intend to decide on a course of action after their upcoming home series against the Indians and Mariners, Knobler writes.

The Rays, now 46-43, have told teams they still expect to contend for the playoffs this year. The Tigers could have interest in Shields, Knobler suggests. Opposing scouts believe Shields has become frustrated and would pitch better in another environment, according to Knobler.

There’s no doubt that many teams would have interest in Shields given his age, durability and contract status. The 30-year-old earns $7MM in 2012 and his contract includes club options for 2013 ($9MM with a $1.5MM buyout) and 2014 ($12MM with a $1MM buyout). Shields, the third-place finisher in last year's AL Cy Young voting, has completed at least 200 innings in every one of his five full seasons. He has a 4.44 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 123 2/3 innings so far in 2012.

MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently discussed trade candidates who could eventually be tied to draft pick compensation. Shields could net a compensatory draft choice following a trade, as long as the acquiring team exercises his 2013 option.

This guy i think should be on top of our list right now, if its true that the Brewers offered Greinke a 5 years 100 million deal we should be off Greinke, if he doesn't accept that contract we won't have anything to offer him. Garza and Shields are very comparable but Shields is under contract for two more years besides 2012 (club options) with a very good contract, he always pitch more than 200 innings and has a good K/9 so he has the "stuff". He won't be cheap we may need to trade some of our best prospects to get him but i think he is worth it. Maybe Delgado, Salcedo, Lipka and Navery Moore could be a discussion for Shields. This is the guy we should get.